In this week’s Torah portion of Lech Lecha, the Torah relates that Avraham had to go down to Egypt because there was a famine in the land of Canaan: “And it occurred, as he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘See now, I have known that you are a woman of beautiful appearance…'” (Breishis 12:11).
Rabbeinu Bachye explains this pasuk “according to the medrish, when it says ‘See now, I have known that you are a woman of beautiful appearance,’ Avraham said to her that normally the travails of traveling depreciates beauty and removes the shine from the face, but you still stand in your beauty, behold I now know you are a woman of beautiful complexion. Chaza”l understood that he had never gazed at her until now. This is because Avraham, out of his great humility, made a covenant with his eyes, just as Iyov said, ‘I had made a pact with my eyes’ (Iyov 31:1). This is because righteous people make covenants with their limbs that they will not damage them just like a person making a peace treaty with his enemies, to not hurt them. Similarly, it writes, ‘You shall not seal a covenant with them and their gods’ (Shemos 23:32). For there is no worse enemy that harms a person then one’s own mis actions….'” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Avraham Avinu was known to have complete control over his senses. Normally one sees whatever is in front of him. A person would have to turn his head or turn away to not look at something, but Avraham was on a level that he had the sense to not look at things he shouldn’t be looking at. The Rabbeinu Bachye says that is because Avraham didn’t want to harm his body in any way by doing anything which might be inappropriate. This held true for all of his senses; he was able to control his sense of smell and hearing just like he was able to turn on and off his sense of sight. Even though this goes against human nature, as senses are automatically flooded with things around them. But Avraham worked on himself and made a pact with his body to ensure that he safeguarded himself from anything that might harm him spiritually or physically, just like a nation might make a peace treaty with their enemy to stop hurting each other. His guarding of his eyes from mundane, physical things was so complete and he was on such an unusually high level that he had never even gazed at his own wife until that point. But when he saw that her face beautifully shinning, even after a long journey, he knew that she was always a very beautiful lady.
What is interesting to note is that the motivation for his drive to safeguard his eyes from inappropriate gazing was based on his great humility. But wouldn’t it have made more sense for it to have been based on watchfulness (זהירות), which is the middah of not giving in one’s physical desires? Or perhaps even the middah of strength of willpower, as the first mishna in the fourth perek of Pirkei Avos says, “Who is mighty? He who subdues his personal inclination, as it says ‘He who is slow to anger is better than the strong man, and a master of his passions is better than a conqueror of a city” (Mishley 16:32). If that is truly the case, then what does this have to do with humility?
It would seem that Avraham Avinu was indeed using his character trait of immense humility as a motivator to take care of his senses and body. Just like a person who has been in battle with his enemies in a seemingly endless war, one still has to humble and restrain himself from hurting that enemy once he signs a peace agreement or treaty. So too Avraham used his trait of humility to encourage and motivate himself to be extra careful to care for his eyesight and other parts of his body, to not hurt them spiritually or physically in any way. Even though he, as a person, was in charge of himself and could choose to do whatever he wanted with his body, out of humility he realized it would not be right to harm his body. Therefore he made a pact or covenant with his senses and limbs to not harm them. He worked so hard to uphold that covenant to the point that he reached great heights of self-discipline, to the point that he was able to control and turn on and off his senses at appropriate times.
We see how the trait of humility can be used as a motivational force to do the right thing.